Trump's Green Card Changes Could Force Hundreds of Thousands to Leave U.S. Here's What To Know

May 23, 2026 6:19 PM CUTThe U.S. Department Of Homeland Security logo is displayed on a sign at a Citizenship and Immigration Services office on January 16, 2026 in San Diego, CA.

The U.S. Department Of Homeland Security logo is displayed on a sign at a Citizenship and Immigration Services office on January 16, 2026 in San Diego, CA.Kevin Carter—Getty Imagesby Rebecca SchneidReporter

May 23, 2026 6:19 PM CUTMost people applying for green cards from within the United States will be required to leave the country and apply through consulates abroad under sweeping changes announced by the Trump Administration this week.

The move will dramatically complicate the process for hundreds of thousands of people who seek permanent residency from within the U.S. each year, and has sparked a backlash from immigration advocates.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the new policy in a memo on May 21, stating that green cards would be issued within the U.S. only for “extraordinary circumstances” and instructing immigration officers to make case-by-case determinations. 

Read More: Legal Immigration Pathways Are Disappearing

Daniel Kanstroom, a professor at Boston College Law School and founder of the university’s Immigration and Asylum Clinic, tells TIME that the main purpose of this memo is likely to reduce the number of green cards that are approved.

“This Administration is trying to make it as difficult as possible for as many people as possible to attain permanent resident status,” he says.

“We're focusing now on the group of people who potentially have the strongest reasons to stay in this country legitimately,” he says, referring to the spouses and family members of U.S. citizens or legal residents.

It is unclear how the agency will determine who can apply for a green card while in the country and who can apply while outside the country, but at its broadest, this policy could affect more than 500,000 people who apply for green cards each year while living in the U.S. on temporary visas. 

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Usually, those seeking permanent residency in the U.S. can apply in two ways: for an immigrant visa at a U.S. consulate abroad or for a green card while already in the country, usually on a temporary visa. Those who apply from within the country have their immigration status changed to permanent resident status. Now, they could be forced to leave the country for months or even years while they wait for their applications to be processed, immigration experts said—even if they have jobs, families, and entire lives in the United States.

“This policy allows our immigration system to function as the law intended instead of incentivizing loopholes,” Zach Kahler, a spokesman for USCIS, said in a statement. “When aliens apply from their home country, it reduces the need to find and remove those who decide to slip into the shadows and remain in the U.S. illegally after being denied residency.”

While Kahler calls the move a loophole, Congress specifically allowed for adjustment of resident status in Section 245 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Several work visas—like the H-1B category— are also specifically designed for “dual intent,” meaning that workers can apply for a green card without jeopardizing their current status.

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The changes will impact half of all green card applicants Out of the 783,000 people who received a green card from within the United States between October 2023 and September 2024, 53% were spouses, children, and parents of U.S. citizens and green card holders, according to the Migration Policy Institute. Twenty-eight percent were people who adjusted from refugee or asylee status, and 15% obtained a green card through employment. 

“HALF of all green cards go to people…here in the U.S. who applied for a green card through ‘adjustment of status,’”Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, said on social media in reaction to the change. “This group covers everyone from spouses and children of US citizens to skilled professionals getting a green card through an employer.”

Reichlin-Melnick said the new policy could “force people to leave their jobs, homes, and families for weeks or months, all at their own expense,” worsen already backlogged green card applications, and place those looking for legal residence at the mercy of consulates, whose decisions are “virtually unchallengeable.” 

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According to Kanstroom, this lack of recourse abroad means that, despite the memo, most lawyers will likely advise their clients to still apply for adjustment of status within the U.S. instead of leaving the country.

“What this Administration